Interview: Nastasi to ‘Arrive & Drive’ a KZ At Next WA Round

The 2nd round of the Newland and Assoc WA KZ Series hits off on the 24th June in Wanneroo. The Tiger Kart Club track is always welcomed as a good track for the KZs.

As always, putting its support behind the series is PatriziCorse who give our placed drivers a Vrooam Oils pack which is sure to keep there equipment in winning condition.

The 2017 Season also sees the introduction of the Newland and Associates “Arrive and Drive Award”. This is awarded to drivers in the X30 class who have been picked because of exceptional results. The drivers get a chance to experience a full race weekend at the next level of racing and hopefully leads to bigger and better things.

Our second X30 driver to get picked is Tyler Nastasi! Tyler recently spoke to us about the award.

Q – Tyler, welcome to the WA KZ Series. You have been awarded the Arrive and Drive based on your performance in the X30 class. Must be a great feeling to get the award?

TN – It certainly is an excellent feeling. Being chosen to participate and offered the opportunity to drive a KZ kart, really gives you the sense, as a driver; that people are watching you whilst you’re out on track and the countless hours of effort that goes in is paying off. For me personally, as a driver who is only in his third year of competitive karting, I think it’s an even better feeling being awarded this opportunity because it shows you how far you have come and it feels great to get that sense of achievement when things like this come along.

What are your expectations for the weekend? Have you got your eye on the $500 winners prize?

My expectations for myself over the weekend are the learning curve of actually racing a KZ and mixing it with some of the best. Obviously everyone who steps out onto the track has the driver instinct that they want to win. Being it will be my first time out on track actually racing a KZ kart, learning and having fun whilst I do so will be my main hope but getting a podium finish will be the ultimate goal. Obviously I would love to come home with the $500 winners prize, and it would be an excellent achievement to do so, but firstly my main hope is to learn and develop new skills in a kart I’m not particularly familiar with.

Have you cut any laps in a shifter before?

Over the past 6 to 12 months I’ve driven a KZ kart two times, very spread apart from each other in totally different karts. Both times driving it was an extremely fun experience. I am always keen to jump back in one and cut more laps because they are an excellent kart for testing your personal fitness and consistency as a driver. Driving a KZ with old rubber, just on a Sunday afternoon practice day is one thing, but racing with other karts around you is another – I think that is what I’m most excited for.

What’s your aim in motorsport? How will the KZ experience benefit your career?

I believe everyone who drives go karts or races in any form of motorsport has a very similar goal as I do – that is to become the very best at what you do. Personally, racing MX bikes from a young age as soon as I jumped in a kart for the first time, I’ve wanted to be a Supercar driver. Watching Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup with Dad as i grew up made the sport very interesting to me and something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Of course my ultimate goal would be to push through all the formulas and achieve a top tier driver in Formula 1. I think the KZ experience will benefit my career in motorsport greatly by teaching me a new way of driving, and hopefully help develop a vision for next year in a kart or other years to come.